THE RECENTLY INTRODUCED “Halting of Trafficking and Exploitation in Lodging” Act would encourage federal employees traveling for business to choose hotels with anti-human trafficking programs. The legislation also would ensure that the U.S. government’s preferred accommodations for conferences and employee travel are committed to training staff to recognize, prevent and respond to human trafficking.
The bipartisan HOTEL Act, introduced by Reps. Chris Smith and Raja Krishnamoorthi on Sept. 19, gained support from anti-trafficking organizations and lodging associations, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Protecting All Children from Trafficking and Hope for Justice.
Smith, who has authored five laws to combat human trafficking, argued that hotels are key locations for identifying and addressing sex and labor trafficking.
“This critical legislation will empower hotels to train their staff using free online resources, adopt procedures to regularly educate and report violations, and provide information to potential victims,” he said. “We also want to protect employees who report these crimes from retaliation and ensure proper coordination with local and federal authorities.”
Krishnamoorthi emphasized that hotel employees can play a role in reporting and preventing human trafficking, but they need the knowledge and skills to recognize it.
“By creating a federal preference for accommodations that voluntarily train their staff to identify human trafficking, the HOTEL Act will equip many more hotel staff to stop exploitation and assist survivors,” he said.
“The HOTEL Act recognizes the crucial role hotels play in the fight against human trafficking, and we are proud to support this legislation,” said Kevin Carey, AHLA’s interim president and CEO. “We look forward to working with Reps. Smith and Krishnamoorthi and lawmakers across the House and Senate to pass this bill.”
To qualify under the bill, hotel training must be developed in consultation with a state government, human trafficking survivors, survivor-led organizations, or a nationally recognized expert organization, such as the AHLA Foundation.
AHLA, its members and the AHLA Foundation are committed to trafficking prevention and have led efforts in this area for many years:
- Since 2019, the No Room for Trafficking initiative has partnered with PACT (formerly ECPAT-USA) to provide trafficking-prevention training for hotel employees. The free training modules help staff recognize trafficking signs, display indicator signage, establish company-wide policies, coordinate with law enforcement, and share best practices.
- The introductory training has been completed over 1.8 million times, with thousands trained annually, not including additional efforts by AHLA members.
- In 2022, the AHLA Foundation launched the industry’s first-ever Survivor Fund, raising $3.7 million to support trafficking survivors.
- The AHLA Foundation is matching NRFT Survivor Fund contributions up to $5 million, aiming for a total of $10 million.
“Through the AHLA Foundation’s No Room for Trafficking initiative, the hotel industry is united in the effort to prevent human trafficking and support survivors,” said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation’s president. “The collective impact of the industry can accelerate innovative prevention efforts and strategies that positively affect the communities where we work and live.”
“The HOTEL Act will ensure that hotel staff are equipped to identify and report suspected human trafficking cases safely,” said Yvonne Chen, PACT’s director of private sector engagement. “Protect All Children from Trafficking supports Reps. Smith and Krishnamoorthi’s bipartisan efforts to provide hotel staff with the resources and training informed by survivors and lived-experience experts.”
“Hotels are common sites for human trafficking and exploitation,” said Tim Nelson, Hope for Justice’s CEO. “Employees are well-positioned to spot suspicious activity, but only if they have the necessary training. Parts of the industry have pioneered this effort, but making such training a condition for government contracts would transform the response to trafficking in hotels. We strongly endorse the bill and thank Reps. Smith and Krishnamoorthi for their hard work in advancing it.”
In July, the American Hotel & Lodging Association supported the “Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act,” which aims to raise awareness through education. Sponsored by Congressmen David Valadao and Troy Carter, the legislation allows DHS to certify businesses that train employees to combat human trafficking, enabling them to publicly display these certifications annually.
